Born on 14th December 2004, the Riserva Naurale Regionale Sentina (Sentina Regional Nature Reserve) is the smallest protected area of The Marche and yet it has a great environmental value (Council Resolution no.156).
It is included in a landscape of water and sand that stretches for about 180 hectares in the Municipality of San Benedetto del Tronto, between the town of Porto d'Ascoli to the north and the river Tronto to the south.
Its special natural structure forms a homogeneous system of terrestrial areas, also including rivers and lakes: a sweet landscape of water and sand that stretches along the coast for about 1.7 km.
Ancient remains dating back to the 1600 and 1860, however, recall the presence of a lake basin, which however, due to urbanization and to reclamation works, has gradually disappeared.
Nonetheless, various studies testify the extraordinary natural and biogeographical value of this area.
The Sentina consists of unique environments such as sand bars, wetlands behind the dunes, and brackish grasslands that are home to a rich and unique flora which has disappeared in most of the Adriatic coast devastated by anthropization.
Floristically, here can be found species that in the rest of The Marche are threatened with extinction, such as the Aster tripolium and the Ammophila arenaria or vulnerable ones such as the Crypsis aculeia, the Sueda maritima, the Eryngium maritimum and the Medicago marina.
The typical landscape is that of the coastal valley: land, river and lakes areas can be found. It can host 171 species of animals, such as migratory birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians.

This area is of remarkable importance for migratory birds, as it represents the only chance for a coastal stop between the delta wetlands of the Po river and the Gargano promontory.

Management Authority
Municipality of San Benedetto del Tronto
Viale De Gasperi, 124
63074 San Benedetto del Tronto (AP)
Tel. 0735 7941
www.comunesbt.it

San Benedetto del Tronto  is one of the main holiday resorts of the southern Marche between the Tronto and Tesino rivers, with a touch of tropical charm, thanks to eight thousand palm trees on its wide promenade. San Benedetto boasts a lot of tourist accommodations, ranging from hotels and residences to about a wide range of private apartments giving tourists the opportunity to spend an enjoyable vacation on ”the Palm Tree Riviera”.

SEA TOURIST OFFER: By the sides of the boardwalk there are rich gardens, a pine grove, tennis courts, a skating trail and, at the mouth of the Albula creek where its first section ends,  a building, the Palazzina Azzurra (“Blue Palace”): a historical landmark of the city. South of it the most specifically touristic area begins, where beach resorts follow one another by one side of the road, and hotels and villas by the other. San Benedetto del Tronto beaches are suitable for children also because with their fine sand they can build castles and dig holes; furthermore,  the shallow sea bottom is the best to bathe wearing water wings or using an inflatable. Also worth visiting is the “Giardino Zio Marcello” (Uncle Marcel’s Garden) facing the free beach between resorts No. 36 and 37, an extended green area equipped with toy structures.  The boardwalk is further characterized by no less than 8000 palm trees, of many varieties, a lot of relax areas, playgrounds and “thematic gardens”, the “oases”: a dry and a wet garden, a palm grove, a rose garden, another one dedicated to the Mediterranean brush. The materials used to build the gardens are compatible with the new vocation of the boardwalk, and are meant to make them look like natural areas by the sea, where one can stop to admire the panorama or to get directly to the beach. A comfortable bike track runs along the whole shore for more than 15 km, reaching north up to Cupra Marittima and south to Via del Mare and Porto d’Ascoli. The town is endowed with a tourist port (awarded the Blue Flag in 2018), a fishing port and one of the most important wholesale fish markets in Italy. North of the mouth of the Tronto river there is the Riserva Naturale Sentina (Sentina Natural Park) characterized by the presence of migrant birds and by a sandy tract of the beach in whose hinterland  there are no buildings of any kind.

ATTRACTIONS: San Benedetto del Tronto has always been connected with sea and sea tradition. The Museums of the Sea includes the Maritime civilization Museum, the Amphorae Museum, the Fish Museum and the Truentinum Antiquarium. The Art Gallery of the Sea, opened in April of 2009, is part of the Museums of the Sea. The MAM (the Museum of Art on the Sea) is a permanent outdoor museum, collecting 145 works of art. The older part of the town, with its fourteenth century hexagonal Gualtieri Tower and  red brick houses, sits above the main resort. The most remarkable tourist attractions are: the Sanctuary of the Blessed Sacrament Modonna, the Santa Maria Cathedral of the Marina, the Church of St. Joseph, the Municipal Concordia Theatre, the Lighthouse. The typical dish of San Benedetto del Tronto is the “brodetto alla sambenedettese”, a tasty fish stew, which must be made with different species of fish. The recipe includes the addition of peppers and vinegar. The most significant events taking place in San Benedetto del Tronto are: the antique market "L'antico e le palme", which attracts Italian and foreign antique dealers and collectors; the Festival of Our Lady of the Navy (July); the "Libero Bizzarri Award", one of Italy's most famous documentary film competitions; Anghiò, the International Festival of Blue Fish.

The Museum of the Sea - housed in  the Wholesale Fish Market at the North Pier of the port  - is a museum that San Benedetto del Tronto Town Council has dedicated to the sea. It includes the Antiquarian Truentinum, the Museum of amphorae, the Fish Museum, the Museum of Sea Civilization, the Art Gallery of the Sea, housed in "Palazzo Piacentini in the older part of the town; the Museum of Art on the Sea (MAM), that is a permanent open-air museum of contemporary art, along the south pier of San Benedetto del Tronto, boasting 163 works of art.

GROTTAMMARE is a seaside resort of the Palm Tree Riviera, boasting a remarkable cultural and historical heritage and 5km of fine sandy beaches. It has been awarded the Blue Flag by the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe), three “ Vele Blu “ by Legambiente and is included in the list of “The most beautiful villages in Italy”.
Its pretty traffic-free promenade is backed by some splendid examples of seaside Liberty architecture - grand villas that date back to the turn of the last century. Along with the many palm trees that line the seafront, bright flower beds and well-kept lawns give the place great charm.
The so called Pineta dei Bersaglieri is an area where children can play and have fun. If you wish to relax, you can enjoy sitting on a bench  in Piazza Kursaal, covering an area of about 5000 square meters, paved with travertine stone and decorated with a ground-level fountain, pine and palm trees.
The Medieval historic borgo up above the main resort has fine old buildings and great views out to sea. The most remarkable monuments are: the Church of Sant’Agostino and the attractive Church of Santa Lucia, built in 1597 in memory of the town's most famous son, Pope Sixtus V. In Piazza Peretti stand Teatro dell'Arancio and the Church of San Giovanni Battista, home to the Sistine Museum. Since 2004 the 16th century Tower of the Battle has been converted into a museum, housing an impressive collection of sculptures by Pericles Fazzini, who made the well- known “Resurrection” in Vaticano’s Sala Nervi.

The renovated museum dedicated to Giacomo Pomili houses the artist’s earliest works and further paintings depicting legends , female characters , landscapes, etc. In summer you can stroll along Corso Mazzini, full of street markets, listen to music in Piazza Fazzini or enjoy the big Cabaret at Parco delle Rimembranze. For those who love romantic atmosphere, you can listen to classical music and learn about poetry in the old medieval village. Cinema, art and theater are other forms of entertainment for all seasons.

The most remarkable events taking place in Grottammare are : Cabaret amoremio! - International Humor Festival (August), Liszt Festival (July / August), Juttenizie - gastronomic walk (August / September) and the Living Nativity (December 26 / January 1 and 6). 

Grottammare has also been awarded the Spiga Verde of the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe), thanks to the policies adopted for environmental sustainability and for involving citizens in the protection of the environment.

The Teatro dell’Arancio derives its name from the plant set in the middle of the square opposite the theatre which was guarded by an officer appointed to it, who was chosen every year among the families of the village, and for which he received as remuneration the exemption from the domestic fire tax. It was realised in the last decade of the Seventeenth by the architect Pietro Maggi on a pre-existing structure whose foundations are still visible on the floor of the portico. The interior was entirely of wood and accurately furnished: it had a stage, stalls and three tiers of boxes. There could seat about 250 spectators and every year there was the assignment of the boxes between the Town council and other owners, while common people could seat only on the stalls. According to the communal residents’ formula, the maintenance was up to the town council and to the families owning the boxes, while the management was up to a drama society.

Today there are no remains of its original furnishings, used as wood for the coffins during the Spanish epidemic, between 1916 and 1918. In this period the theatre was not working yet since in the year 1899 the closure was imposed because it did not guarantee any safety for the spectators. It was reopened in 1908, year in which there was the last theatre season. The structure has recently been restored, which has brought back the old entrance of the external stair of the old town council: and it is from 2004, both the rebuilding of the stalls and the stage have let the hall live again (after 96 years) a new theatre season.       

The adjoining ancient municipal palace houses a Permanent Exhibition dedicated to Giacomo Pomili, called the Tarpato (Grottammare 1925-1997), whose works which had received international awards, are the result of a spontaneous and original expression, that has to be  translated in an elementary style which reveals innate surrealistic and visionary suggestions.

The Church is the most important architecture of the ancient town, situated in a very visible position which features thanks to its façade, the view of the ancient town. It was built, as Pope Sisto V desired, on the spot where he was born, on 13 December 1521, and is named after the patron saint of his birthday.

The first project was entrusted to Domenico Fontana and the building was started in April 1590: after the Pope’s death, in the August of the same year. Fontana was dismissed from the charge and the work was interrupted. The building went on for will of Camilla Peretti, Sisto’s sister, as reminds the inscription on the architrave over the portal and the medal preserved in the Sisto’s Museum, with Camilla Peretti’s effigy on the recto and the Church’s façade on the verso. The building was probably finished in 1595 and in 1597 was considered collegiate Church by Pope Clemente VIII.

The Church presents an essential and plain style, inspired to the rigorous principles of the Tridentine architecture. Over the portal there was the Peretti family coat of arms, today inside the Church, while it is still in its original place the Sisto ‘s papal coat of arms.

The choir over the portal has got an organ, built in 1752 by Francesco Fedeli, who went back to play in December, 2002, after an accurate restoration. Among the works preserved in the Church, it is worth remembering the altar dedicated to St Vincenzo Ferreri, adorned with a canvas portraying the Madonna with St Vincenzo Ferreri, commissioned by Pietro Ravenna in 1723 and recently attributed to the painter Ubaldo Ricci from Fermo.

St. Martin’s Church is one of the most ancient religious buildings in Ascoli Piceno. It was founded by the Benedictine monks of the Farfa Abbey, probably between the 8^th and the 9^th century A.D. and was probably built where once stood the temple of the Etruscan Great Goddess Cupra. It contains many classical and medieval artefacts, such as the fragment of the foot of a giant statue walled up the entrance and two stones of the Middle Age, carved in bas relief and used as holy water fonts.

The Church represents the centre of the urban widening of Grottammare designed by the architect Pietro Augustoni, in 1779, who designed at the same time the building. The portal has been designed by the sculptor Aldo Sergiacomi. The works started in 1780 and followed in a first moment the original project, which can be seen in the nave, in the apse and in the Dome. The building lasted long: in fact between 1847 and 1850 the Church was enlarged, the nave was completed and was realised the new façade designed by the architect Virginio Vespigniani.

The portal has been designed by the sculptor Aldo Sergiacomi, but realised only after his death from the aide Fausta Derna Perozzi. The doors remind the Jubilee Fair, St. Pio V and Sisto V. Some saints are also portrayed, among which the patron saint of Grottammare St. Paterniano and St. Teresa, and St. Umberto, to remember the committee’s parents. The interior preserves a lot of interesting works; the High Altar piece represents St. Pio V praying in front of the Virgin by the painter from Recanati Falconi, who portrays the saint Pope thanking the Virgin for the victory of the Christian Navy over the Turkish one in Lepanto.

Grottammare is a small resort on the southern Marche "Riviera delle Palme”; it boasts 5 km of fine sandy beach. Along with the many palm trees that line the seafront, bright flower beds and well-kept lawns give the place great charm. Bike lovers have a wide cycling path at their disposal, running for about 20 km. Its traffic-free promenade is backed by some splendid examples of seaside Liberty architecture - grand villas  dating back to the turn of the last century.
The Medieval old village up above the main resort is surrounded by wall and has fine old buildings and an ancient theatre.





Tourist information
Tel . 0735 631087
www.visitgrottammare.it
www.rivieradellepalme.com

The villa raises by the southern outskirts of Grottammare, on the hilly slopes facing the coast.

An iron coat of arms above the entrance bears a writing stating the purchase by Pietro Sgariglia in 1793 of the property, which till then had belonged to another member of the same family. After this purchase the property, including the garden, was probably enlarged and restructured. Further enlargements of the garden took place in the XIX century, and more spaces were added.

Villa Sgariglia offers one of the most interesting examples of a XVIII century garden in the region. Placed on the back side of the villa, it was designed by Lazzaro Giosafatti; due to the orography of the land, it  bears an irregular terraced profile that was skillfully exploited to give it the shape of a real green theatre.

The lowest, square level of the garden is placed against the back face of the villa and is closed at its end by a scenographic terraced backdrop, round on its top, which raises about ten meters high and embraces the whole surface of the garden, which is closed on the right side by two terracings leaning on the hill, at the same level as the two upper stores of the building they are connected to; the left side, partially delimited by the building, is instead open at its bottom on a balcony facing the farmland, thus creating a charming scenographic effect.

Orthogonal paths divide the lower garden into sections, where citrus trees are planted, delimited by hedges and enriched with stone spheres and amphorae. At the center of the terminal front there is a large lobed basin with fishes and water lilies, with two passages at its sides leading to a system of caves, while at the bottom there is a backdrop whose purpose is both decorative  and structural: it does in fact sustain the basis of the hill.

Following the strict architectonical rules, also supporters of the Counter-Reformation, reaffirmed in 1750, during the years of Benedetto XIV’s Papacy, and in Harmony with Monsignor Bacher’s strict behaviour, Maggi planned a plain Façade, completely realized in brick. In 1791 the bishop of Ripatransone Bartolomeo Bacher entrusted the architect Pietro Maggi with the restoration of the ancient pre-existing Church which was smaller than now. The project was made between 1795 and 1796 and brought the complete demolition of the original Church. The works started only in 1802: this date is carved on a walled-in brick in the western side.

The interior presents a unique barrel vault nave, painted between 1911 and 1913 by the painter Giuseppe Pauri from San Benedetto del Tronto, according to a painting unitary design which modified the original internal perception. The artist realised an eclectic decoration, recovering the liberty decoration features, the representational repertoire by Adolfo De Carolis and reminding the fifteenth-century paintings.

The iconographical program of the Church develops on ceiling canvas with St. Giovanni in the Desert, St Giovanni Battista’s Glorification and Christ’s lament. On the vault next to the high altar, are represented St. Patrizio e St. Paterniano, patron saints of Grottammare. By the windows, there were four canvases portraying the Evangelists, today removed. In the choir, over the inner door, there is an organ which has been attributed to Carlo Carletti, who removed in 1884 an older instrument, keeping the wind-chest that presents features going back the first half of XVIII century.

From 2002, after a Restoration, the Church was reopened and housed the Sistine Museum of Grottammare, a part of the holy art museum system promoted by the district of  Ascoli Piceno.  

Until 2002, the museum was located in the Saint Augustine Church in Grottammare, but today it is situated in the Saint John the Baptiste Church, which hosts the original collection. The museum is part of the the Diocese of San Benedetto del Tronto, Ripatransone and Montalto Marche, shows objects about the relationship between Pope Sixtus V( who was born in Grottammare) and his birthplace.

Grottammare is one of the most famous seaside locations on the Palm Riviera and on the whole Marche coastline. Lying by the slopes of Monte Castello, where sits its ancient fortified borough, called “Vecchio Incasato”, Grottammare shows all of its romantic charms: it is the ideal location for a wedding. Its old town centre offers an original scenario to celebrate a civil wedding: here are the Orange Theatre, one of the 73 historical theatres existing in Marche and, on the little square, the ancient loggias. The view offered by this location is beautiful and really suggestive.

Acquasanta Terme  is a southern municipality of the Marche, along the Salaria road, a consular road that connects Rome to Ascoli Piceno, where the Garrafo  stream  flows into the Tronto river. It’s surrounded by a particularly natural environment, characterized by hills and by the the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, to which it belongs, and the Sibillini mountains to the south.  

Nature lovers will find ideal its woods of chestnuts, firs,  beeches and oaks. Starting from Pozza and Umito there are wonderful excursions to the Volpara and Prata waterfalls of the Laga Park as well as to the Macera della Morte pathway.

Chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles are appreciated by gourmands.

Acquasanta Terme has been known since Roman times for its thermal waters. The thermal establishment offers  a wide variety of cures ( mud therapy, wellness centre, aesthetic centre, sulphorous swimming pool, etc…).

Travertine is extracted in the important local quarries.

Acquasanta also offers interesting cultural itineraries, such as Castel di Luco, a wonderful 14^th century round – shaped castle which lies not far from the town centre, built upon a rocky spur. (This castle has been damaged by the earthquake in the year 2016). There are also important Roman buildings such as the Garrafo bridge, the first stone bridge built along the Salaria road, with a single round arch which still supports a 19^th century bridge. In the hamlet Ponte d’Arli  you can still admire some Roman walls supporting the Salaria road by the Roman Emperor Augustus and the 16^th century Ponte Vecchio, built by the master builders from Como in the most rigorous respect of Roman building rules,a unique synthesis of civil architecture and natural environment. Nearby lies the 17th century water mill.   

Among religious buildings worth mentioning are: in Acquasanta Terme the Church of  San Giovanni Battista, which houses two paintings by Giulio Cantalamessa, a 19^th century painter and critic of art from the area of Ascoli Piceno, and the 14^th century round- shaped church of Santa Maria Maddalena with a 18^th century painting of Maria Magdalene by Cardi di Cagli; in the hamlets: the 13^th century church of San Lorenzo in Paggese with a  valuable 16^th century triptych “Madonna and Child with Saints Mark and Lawrence” attributed to Pietro Alemanno, a fine 14^th century travertine canopy and the wonderful travertine tombstones set in the church floor; the 13^th century abbey and monastery of San Benedetto by Farfa monks in Valledacqua, with some remainders of frescoes.

For those interested in history, worth mentioning is the cemetery located between Pozza and Umito, which is dedicated to the massacred victims during World War Two in the fight between Italian and Slavic partisans and the German enemy.

Among traditional festivals worth mentioning are the Historical Carnival of the Picenum in the hamlets of Pozza and Umito; in summer the sculpture symposium “The travertine shapes”; on 10^th of August the “Festa of San Lorenzo” with historic re-enactment in medieval costumes and dinner in the square of Paggese; the “Festa d’autunno” (“Autumn festival”), on the third Sunday of October with market of forest products, photo exhibitions and performances; at Christmas the exhibition of artisans’ cribs in the little village of Quintodecimo.

 The historic center, the monuments and the museums of the town are partially accessible. For information please write to Toll-free Number Marche Tourism (numeroverde.turismo@regione.marche.it) or contact the phone numbers listed below.

The Monastery of San Benedetto in Valledacqua is situated in a hill, pretty close to the National Park of Sibillini Mountains and the National Park of Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga ; it dates back to 970 a.d.; the frescoes on some walls retain the original architecture. It was completely restored in 2002 by Ascoli Piceno's Curia and the Ministry of Culture in 2002 ; it now houses a community of Camaldolesi Nuns. The simple facade has a  thirteenth century sail shaped tower. The monastery includes a guesthouse, with a total capacity of 38 rooms; it is open all around the year and welcomes those who wish to share the experience of prayer and liturgy with the nuns in a peaceful atmosphere.